NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR’S COMMISSION ON DISABILITY
INFORMATION
AND
INSTRUCTIONS
QUALITY OF LIFE GRANTS PROGRAM
FISCAL YEAR 2016
“To Improve the Lives of New Mexicans with Disabilities”
Key Dates
Grant Period: July 1, 2015 – June 1, 2016
May 18, 2015
Grant application period OPENS
June 19, 2015
Grant application period CLOSES
June 29, 2015
QOL applicants notified of grant award
August 14, 2015
First monthly report due
June 1, 2016
All QOL grants must be completed
June 17, 2016
Final reports and invoice must be submitted to
GCD
INTRODUCTION
The mission of the Governor’s Commission on Disability (GCD) is to “improve the quality of life
of all New Mexicans with disabilities. GCD works to address: economic self-sufficiency; social
integration; political resolve; physical and program accessibility; and full rights of participation in
the benefits of all individuals with disabilities."
As part of its mission, GCD continues the Quality of Life Grants Program (QOL). QOL
provides small grants to New Mexico non-profit and other tax-exempt organizations to improve
or enhance programs and services that increase the quality of life of all New Mexicans with
disabilities.
Applications can be submitted in one of four categories:
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Physical Accessibility Projects (excluding residential modifications)
Adaptive Sports and Recreation
Public Awareness/Education – Related to the Americans with Disabilities Act and Disability
Issues
Independent Living – Projects Related to Transportation (except medical appointments)
WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
To qualify, grant applicants must
o Be a New Mexico non-profit organization
o Provide programs for, or provide services to, people with disabilities
o Be tax exempt under the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code, including non-profit (501
(c)(3)) organizations, schools and/or religious organizations or Tribal-based
organizations. Grants will only be awarded to 501(c)(3) non-profit entities.
o Provide an official copy of tax-exempt status.
All organizations meeting the above criteria are encouraged to apply.
HOW MUCH IS AVAILABLE?
The maximum QOL grant per recipient is $20,000. GCD will negotiate the final award amount.
Note: (QOL grants for lesser amounts will also be considered.)
FOR WHAT MAY QOL GRANT FUNDS BE USED?
QOL grant funds may be used to enhance an existing program or service(s) that will increase
the quality of life for New Mexicans with disabilities. The goal of QOL grants is to allow an
organization to provide more (quantity) or enhanced (quality) services in one or more of the
listed categories. QOL grants are not awarded for routine operating costs, or costs associated
with starting a new program or delivering new service(s). An organization may submit only one
application. All projects must be completed by June 1, 2016. A final report and final invoice
must be submitted to GCD by June 17, 2016.
2016 QOL Grant Information and Instruction Packet
Page 1
WHEN TO APPLY
The QOL grant application period opens on Monday, May 18, 2015.
The deadline for grant applications is Friday, June 19, 2015, 5:00 pm.
HOW TO APPLY
Please go to the GCD website, http://www.gcd.state.nm.us to access the QOL Grant Application. For assistance, please contact Guy Surdi at (505) 476-0420 / 877- 696-1470 (TOLL-FREE
in New Mexico), or at Guy.Surdi@state.nm.us.
The application and all required attachments may be submitted by: U.S. mail, FAX, or
attachments to an e-mail with an electronic signature. Application deadline is June 19, 2015.
Successful applicants will be notified by June 29, 2015.
By mail materials must be sent to:
Guy Surdi
Quality of Life Grants Program Coordinator
Governor’s Commission on Disability
491 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
By FAX materials must be sent to:
Guy Surdi
Quality of Life Grants Program Coordinator
(505) 827–6328
By E-mail materials must be sent to:
Guy.Surdi@state.nm.us
Place "Quality of Life Grant Application" in the subject line.
2016 QOL Grant Information and Instruction Packet
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APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Section One:
Organization Information
Provide basic information about the organization applying for QOL grant.
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If the organization has more than one location, provide only the address and contact
information for the location at which QOL funds will be utilized.
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If QOL funds are planned for more than one location, provide the central office location and
specify in the Narrative section of the application locations at which funds will be utilized.
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Under “Director/CEO”, list the head of the organization (Director, Executive Director, Chief
Executive Officer, Manager, etc.).
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Under “Contact Person”, provide information for the primary contact for GCD during the
application process and the grant period. If “Contact Person” is the same as the
Director/CEO, leave blank.
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Under “Paid and Volunteer Staff”, provide the number of paid and volunteer staff for the
applicant organization.
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Under "Organizational Budget and Funding Sources", provide the total budget of the
organization, including an estimate of the percentages of the total budget coming from
funding sources listed.
Section Two
Project Narrative

Complete the required sections:
Brief Description of the Organization
Description of Existing Program or Service
Proposed Project Description (if applicable, include outreach and educational activities)
Proposed Project Impact/Evaluation*
Sustainability
Project Narrative must be no more than five (5) typed pages, double-spaced. At the top lefthand side of the each page of the Project Narrative, please place the title of the proposed
project. Number pages consecutively.
*Please read A Quick Guide to Evaluation at the end of the Information and Instruction
packet prior to completing this section of the Project Narrative.
2016 QOL Grant Information and Instruction Packet
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Section Three:
Proposed Project Budget
There are two areas of financial information requested in the application:
 Budget Summary
 Budget Narrative (submitted as a separate document)
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Budget Summary information includes the total amount of funds requested and any
sources and amounts of additional funds to be used in the project. Note: matching funds
are not required for QOL grant program.
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Budget Narrative provides information on categories of funds and amounts under each
category listed in the application. See the “Budget Narrative” section of the application for
detailed information. If no funds are devoted to a specific category listed on the narrative,
indicate with a “0”.
Important Note
The Budget Narrative on the QOL application form applies only to funds requested
from the QOL grant program and cannot exceed $20,000 (maximum award). An
application must have a project budget that shows funds requested from QOL, or it
will not be reviewed.
For projects that have a budget larger than $20,000, applicants are welcome to
submit a budget that has been developed for the entire project, showing the total
cost and revenue sources.
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Indirect (”Facilities and Administration”) costs are not allowed under QOL grant program.
This includes salaries and fringe benefits for executive and administrative staff.
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There is no strict rule on allowable or non-allowable costs. Grant funds, however, may not
be used to cover routine operating costs. What qualifies as an “allowable” cost depends on
the specific activities proposed in the grant. Examples:
 Grant funds may not be used to cover on-going salaries of staff EXCEPT if those costs
are devoted exclusively to planning and implementing the enhanced program or
service(s). Example: 20% of an existing staff member’s time will be devoted to
recruiting new clients or other tasks related to the project, that percentage of his/her
time, plus fringe benefits, is an allowable cost.
 Whether any particular proposed cost is allowable depends exclusively on the extent to
which it is devoted to the enhanced program or service(s). Grant funds may NOT be
used to replace existing funding for on-going operating costs.
 Food and beverages and out-of-state travel are non-allowable costs.
2016 QOL Grant Information and Instruction Packet
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Section Four:
Attachments
The following attachments are required:
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Copy of Tax-Exempt Status
List of Board of Directors, or explanation if there is no board
Organization Information from Section One
Project Narrative from Section Two
Proposed Project Budget Narrative from Section Three
Reports
Tax-exempt organizations provided funding by the QOL Small Grant Program are required to
submit monthly reports beginning August 14, 2015 for the prior month and continue until project
completion.
A final report and final invoice are also required, and must be submitted no later than June 17,
2016.
2016 QOL Grant Information and Instruction Packet
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A QUICK GUIDE TO EVALUATION
Applications must include one or more evaluation indicator(s) and a plan for evaluating the
success of the project.
Developing “Good” Indicators
When deciding what indicators to include, ask questions:
How will I know if the program worked?
How will I know if the program has been successful?
Imagine the project is funded and it has been completed, and was successful. What will have
changed? What does “success” mean for the project?
“Outputs” and “Outcomes”
Most of the indicators will be either “outputs” or “outcomes”.
An output is a quantity indicator.
Examples include:
 An increase in the number of people served
 An increase in the amount of time each client is served
 A decrease in the waiting list
 An increase in the geographical area served
An outcome is a quality indicator.
Examples include:
 Increases in someone’s knowledge about a topic
 Higher levels of satisfaction, happiness or quality of life
 Changes in behavior
 Changes in attitude
Helpful hints for developing the evaluation plan:
 Don’t over-promise. Remember, that for every indicator included, there is a commitment to
following through on the evaluation plan to collect the information by the end of the grant
period. Never include an indicator for which there is no means to collect information.
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Remember, it has to be measurable. Having vague indicators or broad vague concepts
(“clients will be happier” or “clients will become more independent”) are non-descript. Drill
down and decide specifically what is meant by each. For outcome measures, specify what it
means to “improve the quality of life” of people served in the QOL grant.
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Grantees are responsible for completing a comprehensive report and an evaluation
summary.
2016 QOL Grant Information and Instruction Packet
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